I recently bought an 07 Avensis 2.2D estate (A progression from a Celica as a one-car to do it all to a family wagon plus toy car setup (MR2 roadster as the toy)).

My logic was that £7K is not enough to buy a car in warranty / new enough to be guaranteed reliable, but too much to risk on a car that may be a dog / costly to maintain (plus it's used to ferry around my 7 month old twins so reliability is top priority), ... hence the Avensis.

On the one hand, it's the kind of car that impresses more the more you drive it, surprisingly quick, super refined on the motorway, solid build well equipped etc etc, but my word it is dull - every possibly potential for interest seems to have been designed out of it, which as a family ferry is a good thing but if you're in any way interested in driving as a fun activity and this is your only car be warned!

My missus refuses to let me take the bike racks off the roof as it makes the car seem less dull

Oh, the boot is massive but that's true for all, and yes it folds flat.

Accord seats fold flat and my army issue camp bed fits in, which helps as the load guard nets stick up so it lifts you up a bit. Nice big car, manifold cracked and replaced under warranty, rear callipers had to be replaced as they ceased, nicest of the 3 by a long shot. Overall Iike it but I'd prefer a 5 series.
Mazda 6 has a much nicer engine in the newer ones but not as big.

Mines an 07 ex in grey with Pentax alloys so looks the part if nothing else

To be fair, avensis diesels can have a head gasket issue which can write off the engine, check out the owner forums for some scare stories. Toyota have extended to be warranty for this issue specifically according to the same forums. I reckon its probably just a tiny percentage of cars affected though

Mazda 6 estate: Backrests drop at the pull of a lever leaving a 2m long flat area. Handles much better than a Passat (my previous car was one and a lot went wrong with it). Diesels have the usual DPF issues.

Passat B5.5,
if you fancy newer one (B6) then only 2008 onwards with common rail tdi engines.

Mondeo Tdci mk3 are not bad, but their Delphi injectors seem to last on average 100k miles, then they die. It hasnt got really that big boot but its plenty enough IMO. Engine driveshaft chains once stretched become rattly and noisy transit like.

Mondingo mk4 is the real deal though, looks nice, drives nices, but interior is gash compared to Passat. Quality is just not there but boot is biggest in its class.

Japs are alternative, but having experience with Accord (7years of ownership) ... it's way way too boring to own, not for 5k dollars for sure. And once they do go wrong, you will feel sorry for yourself.

I was looking at all 3 of these last year. Mondeo almost won it but at the last moment a bought a 08 citroen c5 estate. Almost entirely because its a more than a little daft whilst being as practical as the mondeo. Hondas boot is disappointing compared to citroen and mondeo the toyota whilst economical reliable practical well equipped was just dull as dishwater and a bit of a munter in my eyes. Get looking around het some test drives then report back when youve bought something completely different

Accord cracked manifold issue was fixed by 2007. Older cars fixed under extended warranty if less then 100k. I am 5th owner of mine and its manifold was done gratis by Hendy Honda.
Honda servicing/repairs are cheap. They have dropped their prices nationwide to compete. My Honda dealer did injectors cleaned and reseated £199, new clutch at the expense of the seller £599.
The electric boot issue is fixed with silicon lube spray.
Its massive in the boot.

I dunno about mondeos, but my experience of toyotas is excellent too..

I don't know about the older versions but I recently looked at new cars. The mondeo and the avensis have iso fix for kiddy seats which mea s the rear seat base doesn't fold up. This means a lot of wasted space and we couldn't fit the bikes the way we wanted to. Didn't look at the Honda though.